The rise of body modifications, specifically among younger generations, has been prevalent in defining today’s culture. Reactions to piercings and colored hair dye can range from support to disdain to no response at all. This same variance in opinion is also apparent in regard to quite possibly the most debated body alteration: tattoos.

Whether due to their permanent nature or the stigma associated with them, many believe that tattoos are unprofessional. In fact, a Courier survey of 770 Solon High School students found that 35.4% of students aligned with this mindset.

Many students expressed sentiments anonymously, such as tattoos “show immaturity and expression of ideas in the wrong way” and “people often associate tattoos with an unhealthy or undesirable lifestyle.”

Tattoo studio manager Sidney Quinn said that these claims do have merit; at Ink On Ink Off Studio in Woodmere, Ohio, more tattoo removals are performed than artwork. However, it’s also important to take into consideration that tattoo artwork takes an average of 3 hours per client, whereas removal takes only 15 minutes.

“Tattoo removal can be very emotional for people,” Quinn said. “It could have been a bad time in their lives and the tattoo holds a bad memory for them or they have separated from the person they were with when they got the tattoo.”

She added that another reason for tattoo removal was professionalism, as places of employment such as the military have certain rules regarding body art.

“I think tattoos are a form of art and individuality and I love tattoos,” Quinn said. “But certain placements for tattoos like hand or face can still make it very hard to get certain jobs.”

Of the 770 SHS students surveyed, 76.7% agreed that tattoos make it more difficult to find employment. However, 57.3% of students said they are either planning on or would consider getting a tattoo at some point, excluding the 32 students who responded that they already had tattoos.

“Tattoos are, for the most part, just a way to express oneself, so personally, I don’t think they are unprofessional,” one SHS student anonymously said.

Many students also expressed a nuanced view on the professional quality of tattoos.

“Tattoos tend to display personal beliefs and values, something I think is not welcomed to be displayed at the workplace,” one student explained.

This same student, nonetheless, also said, “Tattoos enable people to carry a piece of them that they wish to immortalize. The only tattoos that should be considered unprofessional are offensive ones.”

Quinn said that the decision to get a tattoo should be thoroughly considered (in addition to tattoo design and location) rather than made impulsively, especially with possible consequences in the workplace.

“Tattoos are a lot more common now than in the past and with that [tattoos] are a lot more accepted,” she said. “However, that still doesn’t mean having a tattoo wouldn’t stop you from getting a job. Always be careful about tattoo placement if you don’t know what your career is going to be.”